Client Success Story: More Than Expected

Age: 27

Time: 18 months

Every client success story I share have parts that run together. However, their subtle differences are what drive their need to be shared in order to touch someone that can truly relate. The reason I ask clients to share their stories and physically write them themselves is that only they can convey their authentic struggles and wins.

This client has done massive inner work throughout our work together that has helped her realize her worth, her mission and the value of confidence in her day-to-day life. She has come to realize that a scale is a tool that we have to sometimes throw out the window in order to really measure progress, both physical and mental. She is REAL, has been raw and honest in her journey and because of that, has seen more growth than I believe she ever expected.

Most of all, she has been patient and trusted the process to realize that all things that last, take time.

Here is her story:

“I have spent most of my life comparing myself to everyone else. Whether factual or not, I have always looked at others and thought aspects of their lives were better than mine, mostly superficial. Looks, athletics, intelligence. It took me almost 25 years into my life to decide that I would not feel sorry for myself and I would start making positive changes rather than dwelling on what I “wasn’t able to do” or who was “skinnier than me.”

My journey tracking macronutrients have been ever changing and one of the most gratifying ways I have decided to make myself better. My mental shift in my image, food, and overall life has changed in such a positive way. It has afforded me the opportunity to appreciate the process of growing and learning about myself, allowing me to reflect on mistakes and grow from them. While my journey has been far from perfect, it has allowed me to gain an appreciation and acceptance of my body, how I look, how I feel, and an understanding of how strong I can be mental, physical, and emotionally!

I can never remember a time in my life that I wasn’t self-conscious. Physically, I have always been the “thick” girl (my least favorite description). It always bothered me that my friends ate whatever they wanted and stayed petite. My sister is 4’11, 100 pounds soaking wet. Every girl I associated with did not seem to have the body issues I did. Life just did not seem fair.

At 16, I was tracking points with my mom at Weight Watchers and started a vicious cycle of binge eating and other unhealthy eating and exercise habits. Despite success with this weight loss style, I could not sustain it when I got to college. While I tried to stay conscious of what I ate and was always active as a Division III field hockey player, I wasn’t truly aware of the effects drinking and eating all types of food at all hours would have on my body. After college, I taught Health and Physical Education for three years, ran 2 half marathons, and started Crossfit. I would train hard but was not fueling my body properly for the type of exercise I did, so my body never looked the way I thought it should. I thought I was doing all of the right things, but I was so wrong.

When I moved to Arizona and started working out at a Crossfit affiliate, I quickly realized I did not look like the other girls in the gym (again, comparing myself). I wanted to look as strong and fit as everyone else did. It was an easy choice for me when members were discussing tracking macros that I needed to try this lifestyle (definitely not a fad).

I began tracking macros in March of 2016. I first realized I was going to eat much more than I had before and loved that idea, but struggled with the what and how. After trial and error, learning how to work backward from dinner to breakfast, asking Amanda at least one million questions, and still finding ways to incorporate foods I enjoyed, I began to get the hang of it. I was losing weight weekly and beginning to see changes in my body! Unfortunately, my own insecurities would get in the way when I couldn’t get past scale numbers (I’ve gotten better) or if I didn’t lose weight each week. I would hit plateaus and not understand why and get defeated. But, with the help of Amanda and trusting the process, I have been able to persevere through any difficulties.

Working through this process has allowed me to not focus just on the scale, but growth in other areas as well. It also has allowed me to see the progress I have made in making better health choices for my body and mind. Amanda has guided me so much on this journey, pushing me to feel good about myself when I sometimes don’t want to. Tracking macronutrients have totally shifted my mindset. It has allowed me to be a more proactive person in my health, taking into account what I put into my body, when, and how it will affect me. It feels so great to come to a point in life where I am able to take control of my physical and mental health. Amanda has given me so many tools to be successful and her constant guidance has driven me to be the happiest with myself that I have ever been.

The confidence, healthy lifestyle, and overall happiness I feel knowing I am making good choices for my mind, body, and soul has been all thanks to working with and Amanda.

Client Success Story: Over 150 Pounds of Loss

Age: 34

Timeframe: 1 Year

The new year seems to bring a shift in our minds…a fresh start to make intentions for the year ahead. As a coach, I’ve learned that the great majority of the population struggles with that one single part, the START. Going from zero to one is sometimes the biggest struggle in a person’s health journey.

One client made that commitment to start and never EVER looked back, and lost over 150 pounds (yep…you read the right!). She began her transformation alone and then reached out to me when she realized her journey was about more than food. It was about mindset, about overcoming her fear of food, about awareness and being an example as a mother and wife.

It’s been incredible to be a part of her transformation. The pictures she is willing to share are mind-blowing. What they don’t capture though is how her internal transformation has been. These pictures don’t show how she feels about herself now: how proud she is, how committed she is and how empowered she is on her journey to here. She has made this journey eating REAL FOOD, no fancy gimmicks, just simple real food with balance, purpose, and awareness. Her face in her progress pictures alone shows her transformation in confidence and happiness.

Her story is inspiring and is shared with the intent to help you realize that you too can make this journey…all you need to do is START!

Here is her story:

“Never in a million years did I think I would be sitting here sharing my “success” story. I have tried and failed so many times in the past.

My eating disorders started back in high school. I had such an unhealthy relationship with food. Now, I love food as many others do. However, I always chose the unhealthy foods that left me hungry and wanting even more unhealthy foods. This, of course, led to the weight gain.

In high school, I started taking diet pills. Then I would work out like crazy in the gym and wouldn’t eat for days at a time. When I would eat I would purge. The weight would always come off initially. The minute I stopped taking the pills and went back to my old habits, my weight came right back on, plus so much more.

I then went on to try a weight loss center which helped me for a short while I was trying to lose weight for my little sister’s wedding. However, this diet was just not sustainable and it wasn’t a balanced either. I never even made it to the maintenance phase. So, once again I put all the weight back on and then some.

Making A Permanent Change

In December of 2016, my husband and I decided that enough was enough! We deserved so much more and so did our two little girls. The needed to see what their parents were capable of and really see what a healthy balanced life looked like. So, in January 2017 I started my journey at my heaviest weight EVER! I couldn’t believe that I had let myself get to that point but as a mom, I allowed the excuse of “I am just too busy and I just can’t put myself first.”

In January I severely cut my calories down to 700 a day. I was working out 7 days a week and was exhausted and just felt terrible all of the time. My little sister had talked to me about tracking my macros for a long time but I just wasn’t ready. In late January something clicked and I knew if I didn’t make a drastic change, I wouldn’t be able to say I lost over 150 pounds.

Working With Amanda

This is when I reached out to Amanda. I instantly felt the connection with her and knew this was it. This was my time! I started working with Amanda in May 2017. Amanda monitored me for a couple weeks and then began to bump up my numbers. She has always been so mindful of my past relationship with food so she pushed me but NEVER to the point that I felt like I just couldn’t do it anymore. She also suggested I cut a couple of days out of the gym, focusing on quality over quantity in training. Amanda knows best so I followed her instructions. Even after increasing my intake and lowering my number of days in the gym, I was still losing the weight.

Where I’m At Now

I have had rough days as I’ve lost over 150 pounds, but I’ve gained so much! My thinking has completely shifted and I am learning that this is not an all or nothing lifestyle. I have learned so much about myself and just how hard I can push myself along the way. My girls and my husband are my driving force. My girls now have a mom who can go out and play, has the energy to run and play sports with them all while seeing me lose the weight in a healthy way.

They help me cook, we grocery shop together so they can learn what it means to make the healthy choices at a young age. I have the most amazing support system. From Amanda to my husband, my girls, my parents, and sisters. I am just beyond grateful to all of them. I have been able to make such an amazing lifestyle change. As of November 30, 2017, just 11 months into my journey, I have lost over 150 pounds (it’s actually a grand total of 172 pounds!). I cannot wait to see what is in store for me in 2018!

I wake up every day and thank God for giving me this amazing opportunity with Amanda and for my support at home.”

Client Success Story: The Weight Lifter

Age: 33

Timeline: 1 Year

There is a general misconception that when someone isn’t at their ideal weight that they over consume calories. More often than not the exact opposite is true. I’ve had hundreds of clients who come to me with frustrations from living in a heavy calorie restricted diet for years. Many times it is unintentional and sometimes, is not.

This signals the body to go into “emergency mode” and store what little food the body is supplied as fat. The only answer to lose weight: take on more fuel to drive loss.

This week’s client came to me in this place. She wasn’t eating enough, especially for her volume of training, and needed to shift her perspective from the notion of “less being more.” She did that and did it amazingly well, dropping two weight classes as a competitive weight lifter (that’s over 20 lbs) and looks and feels better than she ever has. She recently competed in the American Open Series and qualified for the Finals this winter. Her passion, work ethic and follow through is inspiring and I am grateful to call her a client and friend.

Here is her story:

“What a trip! Miami was hectic, humid and amazing all at the same time. There wasn’t a second to slow down and really enjoy everything that Miami has to offer but we sure got to experience a TON of weight lifting. Overall a super successful trip for the team and for me personally. But success never comes easy! This past year I’ve worked hard to gain strength while cutting weight.

I have officially been working with Amanda for one year this August. When I started I weighed around 150 lbs and was competing in the 69kg weight class. I wasn’t comfortable or confident at this weight, so we set some goals to get me to the next lowest weight class which is 63 kg. Our goal was slow and steady which would allow me to continue training hard. I competed a few times at the 63kg weight class this past year, but I felt like I could do more.

After discussion with my weightlifting coach Brian, as well as Amanda, we decided to drop to the next weight class which is 58kg. Our long term goal was to compete in July at my lowest weight class. With the amount of training I do every day (1.5-2 hours, sometimes more) it was incredibly important that I eat enough to prevent muscle breakdown and fatigue.

Along the way, I’ve fallen off the wagon, gotten back on and fallen off again. I messed up, wouldn’t track, failed to send my numbers, gave up on weighing myself because I didn’t want to see the number on the scale. The best part about having a macro coach is the accountability. When Amanda doesn’t hear from me, I know she will definitely be following up by text, email or in person.

She helps encourage me, talks me off cliffs and gives me meal ideas when I can’t figure out what to eat to fit my day. She is always there to remind me that I don’t have to throw away the whole day or week or month, just because I messed up one time. I’m not perfect. I love ice cream, pizza and cookies and struggle with self-control when it comes to food.

When July came around (WAYYYY faster than I felt like it should) I was slightly above my goal weight, but wasn’t worried at all because Amanda was in constant contact with me about my daily weights and food intake, especially when it was coming close to game time. Cutting the last few pounds (kilos, whatever) of weight can be tricky, especially as a female with cross country travel and time zone acclamation as well as an evening weigh in.

When July 28th finally came, I was perfectly on weight, slightly under actually. I never felt overly hungry or tired. At 6pm I weighed in at 57.66. I was able to compete as a 58kg lifter for the first time and on a national stage. I felt good, not weak or fatigued at all and was able to take 8th place in my weight class out of about 60.

So what have I learned through this whole process? Be Consistent.

When I track consistently and weigh in regularly I see the most significant results. I tend to really buckle down right around competition time when I really need to make weight and I never have a problem reaching the weight I planned. I’ve also learned that with the proper guidance you can lose weight and get stronger with more food, not less.

I’ve lost 20 lbs this year and PR’d every single one of my lifts.

What’s next?

Maintenance and more food. Which means I will need to be accurate in my tracking and make sure I eat all the food I’m allowed in order to help me gain some strength so I can compete at the American Open Finals in December!”

Want to read more client success stories like this one. Click HERE to read more about my clients’ amazing transformations.

Client Success Story: The Power Of Teamwork

Ages:

Her-33

Him-32

Time:16 weeks

It is really cool as a coach when a spouse begins to have so much success working with me that it inspires the other to take action. I began working with my first client after having her first child. I could totally relate to the place she was in; she was desperate for change and to get her confidence back. And she did just that–and beyond.

She had such great success that her awesome hubby began to work with me as well. He too jumped in full force and worked hard to overcome a busy work life that required lots of travel. I have been impressed with his journey because of he such an example to so many men out there that it isn’t about perfection and giving up what you love in life. Instead, it is about week-to-week progress and learning to leave the “all or nothing” mindset behind.

Here is her story:

“My whole life I’ve felt trapped in a body that I didn’t love or respect. I would be skinny, chubby, fat then thin again time and time over. I would lose weight by undereating and exercise to the extremes. Then I would lose my steam and gain everything back 2X’s. This was my cycle for as long as I could remember.

Then I had my son and thought I will never lose this weight. I tried all my old tricks to lose the baby weight, but this time was different. My body was staying the same weight no matter what I tried. Nothing was working. This is when I decided to reach out to Amanda. I honestly felt ashamed and embarrassed as I have known Amanda since high school. I finally wrote an email asking for some help. She simply said, “we need to just wake your metabolism up and you need to eat more food!” I said, huh?

More food, this is never going to work. But I trusted the lady and did what she said! I tracked my macros the best I could, eating more food than I had been, and within 5 months lost 25lbs. I’ve never felt so healthy in my life. I used to think potatoes were going to make me gain weight because I had this perception that carbs were the devil. Now I’m eating 170 grams of carbs, 54 grams of fat and 105 grams of protein and potatoes every day! Never in my life did I think I could eat all this food and sustain a healthy weight without fluctuation.

Amanda’s approach is kind and supportive. I never felt pressured or uncomfortable in this process with her. She has a way with her words to motivate and encourage in the perfect way. I thank her for her knowledge and persistence with me. Oh, and did I mention I’m a bakery owner? Yes, I work with baked goods all day every day. So, if I can meet these kinds of goals, I know anyone can with the help of my girl!

Here is his story:

“I have spent a good portion of my life believing I was invincible. In that regard – I have given my body a ride of its life, eating, drinking, smoking, and simply put – not taking care of myself. I reached a tipping point when I turned 30. I found myself getting sick after eating pounds of garbage, hangovers got significantly worse and my body was aching like it has never done before. Couple that with an extra 35 pounds of “baby weight” I gained after our son was born; I was a ticking time bomb.

While I continued to procrastinate getting into better health, I watched my wife shed weight and begin to really start feeling good again while working with Amanda. After some “persuasion” from her, I decided to contact Amanda and get on a path to better health.

I have tried numerous diets in my day but they always ended with me binge eating after it was over and packing on MORE weight than I ultimately lost. Not this time! I have found a new way of life through Amanda. While I can still enjoy some of the junk food I use to crave, I now understand the importance of meeting my target numbers and eating more balanced. Knowing that I have to follow up with Amanda weekly and give her my log makes me want to execute and not let her down. She has consistently given me positive feedback while keeping me straight when I would fall off the path.

Now that I have shed nearly 30 pounds, my body hurts less, I have no more stomach aches and I am even getting more active due to feeling great and wanting to live a better lifestyle. Who knows where I’d be right now if I wouldn’t have made that one call to Amanda. I am sure glad I did.”

Want to read more client success stories like this one. Click here to read more about my clients’ amazing transformations.

Work Hard Be Kind,

Awalk

https://www.awalkmyway.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Stephen-and-Andrea-Success-Story.jpg315560awalkmacros@gmail.comhttps://www.awalkmyway.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/awalkmyway-logo-300x137.pngawalkmacros@gmail.com2017-11-21 06:36:082017-11-27 17:54:59Client Success Story: The Power Of Team Work

Client Success Story: 40 and Fabulous!

Age: 40

Time Frame: 16 weeks and counting

I’ve grown my business through word of mouth. Nothing is more satisfying as a coach than to have a client refer their family and friend’s your way because you served them, supported them and took them beyond what they thought their goals were. This week’s client success story came to me from another amazing client, eager to make a change.

What began as performance goals became so much more. Her performance in the gym has surpassed her own expectations and so has her entire transformation. She set a goal to be 40 and fabulous and she nailed it!

Here is her story:

“My relationship with food has always been love/hate, I love to eat but hated how I felt afterward. The only exercise I enjoyed for years was dancing. I never learned a balance of good nutrition and moving. While poor eating habits didn’t seem to have much of an effect on my weight while I was younger, they most certainly did as I got older and became much less active. My childhood was filled with convenience food, fast food, and way too many sweets. I never learned the value of eating nutritiously. And I paid the price in my 20s and 30s.

In 2010, a friend of mine asked me to join her in a boot camp. I loved it! I was happy I finally found something other than dancing that I enjoyed. Through the boot camp, I learned some better eating habits. But, even then my healthier eating habits were still pretty restrictive. I did have some success with the boot camp and was feeling good about my success.

Then I got pregnant. I pretty much ate anything I wanted. I had Red Robin 2-4 days a week and a large vanilla ice cream cone from Dairy Queen every other day.

I gained over 50 pounds and I ended up with high blood pressure the last 2 months of my pregnancy. After having my daughter, I struggled with postpartum anxiety and depression and felt so insecure about not being able to lose the baby weight as quickly as I wanted.

I tried to go back to my healthier eating habits but found it challenging to cook with working full time and caring for my baby. I was drinking more and eating processed and fast food more than I cared to admit. By October of 2013, I wasn’t far from my weight at 9 months pregnant. I weighed nearly 200 pounds.

In the summer of 2014 after several months of yo-yo dieting, cutting my calories and losing some weight, I hired a personal trainer. I had great success with her fitness wise and learned to love working out! Over the next 2+ years, I worked out with a couple trainers and took a Barre class at my gym but I still wasn’t getting what I wanted.

I decided to try Orange Theory Fitness and I fell in love with it! It was exactly what I needed for my fitness routine. However, years of horrible eating habits really showed. It was very difficult for me to make it through an OTF workout with feeling very fatigued, nauseous and like I was going to pass out. I thought I needed to add more classes but obviously, that didn’t help. I knew I had to change how I was eating.

That’s when I contacted Amanda. My cousin-in-law had great success with her and I figured she was exactly what I needed to achieve my goals. And I am so thankful I found her. In the four months, I’ve been working with her, I’ve lost 25 pounds and I exceeded my expectations on my performance in the gym.

I’m running faster and lifting heavier than I ever thought possible. Coaches comment on my performance every session. I push myself harder than I ever thought possible. I have more muscle definition than I ever thought I would have. I feel confident and much less insecure.

Best of all, my mindset on nutrition has completely changed. It’s such a freeing experience. Even though I track and weigh and measure, I don’t restrict anything! I just plan for what I want then work around it. And that is the most liberating feeling in the world. I actually enjoy eating now. I look at myself in the mirror and I feel proud of what I see. I have never been able to look at myself in the mirror and feel proud of my the body I see.

I turned 40 in August. I set a goal for myself at the end of last year that I wanted to be the healthiest and fittest possible version of myself as I entered my 40s. With Amanda’s coaching, I met my goal. Actually, I far exceeded it. Her mentoring, positive reinforcement, encouragement and sheer passion for what she does has been instrumental in my transformation.

Amanda has not only helped me change physically, but she has also helped me change my way of thinking about food. I never imagined how much, not only my body, but my mindset would change before I started macro tracking. I’m incredibly grateful for this experience.

Want to read more client success stories like hers? Click HERE for more.

Client Success Story: The Fighter

Age: 34

Time Frame: 12 weeks

There have been many times in my own life where I’ve faced adversity and was given a choice to become a victim or fight a battle. None of these compares to the adversity that this client faced in a blink of an eye.

She’s a friend who I felt extremely honored to guide in her “come back” journey. But much more than that she is an inspiration to me, a reminder of perspective and above all, she makes me be more intentional in my own life.

Her story is humbling and unique and will likely make you want to be better every single day. She put in hard work to push herself to the limits and realized food was a powerful tool for her success.

Here Is Her Story:

“It was January of 2017 when I finally made the choice to stop trying different nutritional approaches that (no matter how strict I was) never delivered. I know I’m kind of an odd case as a female who has been trying to put on mass for the last few YEARS with tough luck. The first official mass diet I tried after failing at “DIY” macros, was with Renaissance Periodization and I LOST 10 POUNDS in the first 3 weeks. Not the direction I was going for, but I was holding onto this idea that if I kept following the instructions, my body would follow too. At the end of the 12-week cycle, I was up 4 pounds from my original weight. It became obvious to me that nutrition is not one-size-fits-all.

This is when I made a mental shift that really dictated my decision of working with Amanda. I had been so consumed with the idea that the more I weighed, the stronger I could be. But, like with a lot of things, I don’t really fit into the “normal” box. I’m a hard-gainer. I had to get dialed in with timing and consuming macros that adjusted to my training goals whether it be hypertrophy or absolute strength phases.

Weightlifting is a sport about discipline and mental fortitude – and it was something that sort of shaped my perspective at a time when I was trying to pull my life back together.

Because, just when I fell in love with weightlifting, I found out I had cancer and needed brain surgery. As I got back in the gym and started to recover, I found out that I needed another full-on brain surgery. To say I was angry or hopeless is a complete understatement.

My life became surreal and I struggled with PTSD, anxiety, panic attacks, and this fear that I was slipping away to crazy land. BUT, I kept my regimen and showed up at the gym because I wanted to show my kids and husband that I was determined to heal. Once I got my balance and grip strength back, I was on the lifting platforms constantly… dead lifting weight that I used to push press. But I steadily improved and got to a point where I felt like maybe I could be competitive.

You only live once, right?

This is where my journey with Amanda really helped shape my goals. I have to laugh a little bit when I look back on all the crap I put her through. First, I started out cutting the fluff from my unsuccessful mass (that didn’t even give me any strength gains!) to another mass, to another cut when I realized that even though my lifts were going up, my body weight was still closer to the lower weight class.

Somehow, despite my macro ADD, she kept performance at the forefront and I was stronger than ever as we headed to the American Open Series in Miami, Florida! I say “we” because even though she was back in Arizona, we were in constant communication about my unfortunate water retention which almost cost me the chance to lift. I had to do some last minute sweating under the careful eye of my weightlifting coach, but we made weight, barely. Thanks to their combined effort, I got to lift on a national platform!

It was an incredible milestone that I plan to improve upon with Amanda’s help. Weightlifting has made me stronger in every way and I’m grateful for the process. I now know that success is not just dependent on the effort put into training, but also in nutrition and rest (she even made me log my sleep!).

The ups are good, but the downs mean better things are coming… if you work for it.”

Client Success Story: Progress Is Greater Than Perfection

Age: 40

I feel lucky to have taken such a gamble in life, leave my teaching profession and be able to do what I do now. The thing I miss about teaching is the true connections I had with special students along the way. I’ve come to find that there are certain clients that just connect with you and can be open, honest and are ready to do the deep dirty work to change their life physically and mentally. This week’s success story is one such client.

I’ve connected with her deeply and her progress has come in so many forms. Her transformation is impossible to capture in a photo. Yes, she has lost weight but all of her change has come from really doing work on the inside. She came from a dark, challenging place and dug deep to regain her confidence, take risk in the gym and get way outside her comfort zone to finally find real happiness.

Here Is Her Story:

“Sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky in life. I know I am truly blessed. I have a great job, a wonderful husband, healthy children, and supportive friends and family. People might look at me and think she has everything she could ever need to be happy! Well, here’s the problem: I wasn’t happy. I really disliked what I saw every day in the mirror: the reflection of someone who was unhappy, afraid of not meeting expectations, and wondering if my best would ever be “good enough”.

A Period Of Self Reflection

I blame myself for most of my issues. You see, I admittedly am a type A personality, and as a result my whole life I have been goal driven, demanding perfection in all areas of life. I wanted to be the perfect daughter, student, and health care professional. Failure was not an option. I thrived on having many balls in the air, and I felt like I could juggle anything.

I applied this same mindset to other areas of my life. When I felt I needed to lose weight or participate in sports, I figured out a way to do it no matter what the cost. I just wanted to succeed. However, as the years flew by, my responsibilities changed.

I became a mother and a wife, my goals became harder to reach, and with each achievement the satisfaction I expected to feel became less momentous. I worked harder to reestablish that feeling, stacking on the challenges and responsibilities, and without knowing I began to set myself up for failure. I was not used to being unsuccessful and I’m not going to lie – it felt horrible.

Where we go stems from where we begin…

Over the years I have come to understand that life is a partnership between external and internal worlds. It’s human nature to find ourselves working to change our outside world in an attempt to achieve “happiness” or the “perfect life”, but as we concentrate on the outside factors we can change, we often forget to work on our inner selves.

So, like most people, I began to search for a “better life”. Two years ago, I moved to Phoenix. Unfortunately, right after I moved I went through a year of challenging medical issues. I was unable to workout, and fell into a deep depression.

Weighing in at nearly 175 lbs (on my small frame), I was at my highest weight and in the worst shape of my life. I knew something had to change. I took a big step and decided to take on CrossFit. I have never regretted that decision. Over the last year, I gained a second family and a new lease on life, but most importantly, CrossFit led me to Amanda.

Don’t get me wrong. Amanda is an excellent macros coach. Over the last 10 months, she has helped me gain a healthier relationship with food and taught me how to manipulate my intake safely to meet my goals. She has been supportive, honest, and genuine. However, to me, Amanda has so much more to offer than just her knowledge of food. She is more than just a macros coach. She was and still is a life changer.

A Change In Mindset

Through regular communication, Amanda helped me realize that although I could manipulate my external world to create my perception of a “perfect life” that I myself was remaining unchanged. She showed me how we all play a part in our own happiness and that nothing ever truly changes until you change yourself. You have to face yourself head on and put a STOP to self-limiting and toxic ways of thinking.

She helped me discover that you have to be willing to accept yourself just as you are before you can start working towards transforming into that person you want to be. She helped me realize it’s okay not to be perfect, we are going to fail sometimes, and that in each so-called failure there is an opportunity to grow and try again.

You Are Your Own Compass

Amanda also taught me that you can only reach your goals if you truly believe in your own ability to change. You must have self-determination and can’t just hope for the best. She helped me see that in any transformation process, you are going to get out of it what you put into it. Amanda has always been able to kick me into gear when I needed it most, while still be a gentle listening ear and keeping me in line.

She warned me going into this process that there would be times when it would seem to come along seamlessly and others where I might feel I was drowning in quicksand. I experienced all of this and she was right there to help me. She was never more than a phone call or email away. I have had ups and downs throughout this entire process in life and the gym. She reminded me that this was all part of the process of transformation, and as I gained faith and self worth, I would find it easier to implement and maintain change- she was right!

A Bright Future

But most importantly, Amanda has taught me that transformation occurs through daily individual actions. There’s no quick fix – change has to be sustainable. There is no final goal to be reached.

Transformation is a LIFELONG process that takes time, dedication, and support from everyone involved. Amanda has helped me change my mindset in life and given me the tools I need to set and meet realistic goals. I am so grateful for her guidance. Because of Amanda, I know I can work every day to get closer to the person I want to be. I am able to comfortably reflect on where I’ve been and how far I have come. I am, for the first time in a long time, truly happy.

Client: The Warrior

Age: 42

Timeline: 12 Weeks

Confidence is one of the most powerful tools in our personal “self toolbox.” It can push us to do extraordinary things and it can tear us down into a million pieces. When we lose our sense of self through a major life event it’s extremely difficult to get it back.

Nutrition is more than scale weight and before and after pictures.

It’s about rediscovering the confidence you have inside so that it shines on the outside. This week’s client success story faced a battle that so many women face today. She did it with strength and grace but not without struggle. The amazing part is that she dug deep, invested in herself when it was behind her and now feels (and looks) the best she ever has.

Here is her story:

“One of the biggest things cancer does is strip you of feeling like yourself. It wrestles you into becoming less of you and more of it. It tries to diminish who you strive to be and it leaves you feeling beaten up, tired and worn.

About this time last year I was feeling pretty good and doing well. I was probably the fittest I had ever been, having committed to clean eating and CrossFit. We had just returned from watching some of the fittest people on the planet compete at the 2016 CrossFit Games. Not even a week later I felt a big hard lump in my breast and well, the rest is sort of a blur.

Mammograms, ultrasounds, biopsies, xrays, MRI, and doctor appointment after doctor appointment. Cancer quickly becomes a full time job. Two surgeries followed by mandatory 8 weeks recovery after each one left me with a very sedentary life especially compared to what it had been.

When I was finally able to work out again I found I had zero energy. I can remember on multiple occasions having to sit out half way through the workout. That had never happened to me before, not even when I was a CrossFit newbie. Scale the workout-yes. Sit out- no way. I was heavier than I’ve ever been and had lost most of my muscle definition.

As much as I tried on my own, I could not get my body to let go of even a single pound. My body had been through a trauma and it was not cooperating with me any longer. My fitness was a priority to me and I was not about to let cancer take that from me.

So at the end of my rope, I contacted Amanda. And she began to work her magic! She knew my metabolism needed reset, she knew I wanted to lose weight, and she knew it was important for me to have the energy and stamina to get through my workouts to rebuild my strength and cardio. And she helped me achieve all those goals, in an amazingly short amount of time!

She always told me what to expect in the coming week so I never had to worry that things weren’t headed in the right direction. She always encouraged me and made me feel like I was succeeding. And above all, she always set the example with her own nutrition. It truly felt like she would just send me a magic formula and if I followed it my goals were met.

Yes, I dropped over 15 pounds! But honestly even more satisfying than that was the way my body composition changed. Every week I saw significant change in how my body felt at the gym, how it looked in the mirror, and how my clothes fit- even on weeks when the scale didn’t move. I felt like myself again and that has been huge for someone who at times wondered if I would always feel broken.

This hasn’t been a diet, it’s been a life change. I no longer eat mindlessly or out of boredom. I don’t make excuses that it’s okay if I overeat just because the foods I’m choosing to indulge in are “healthy and clean”. I no longer expect my body to perform when I have not provided it with the proper fuel. I see food and my nutrition as I should- a way to eat a balanced diet in order to live the life I want. I still eat delicious food and a lot of it.

Honestly, I’m eating more calories than I ever have. Ask my family how many times I say, “Look how much food I get to eat!”. But I understand now the relationship between what I put in my body to get the results I want- whether that’s weight loss or more energy or achieving my goals in the gym. I even succeeded in not gaining any weight on my vacation at the beach! How often does that happen? No vacation guilt or regret, and yes, I fit some treats in too. It feels good to eat good!

It’s been about 12 weeks since I started tracking my macros with Amanda. I reached my original weight loss goal in about 7 weeks and set a new goal after that! In a few weeks I will be turning 43 and shortly after that I’ll be celebrating one year cancer free.

I can honestly say I am living my life as my best self. I feel like I have my feet under me again, and I’m so excited to see where this leads me next. I am healthier, leaner and stronger than I was even before my diagnosis, and for that I am incredibly grateful. “

Client Success Story: The Marathoner

Age: 33

Time Frame: 16 Weeks

Before and After

Before and after pictures “sell.” I get that more and more as a coach and I personally think it sucks at times. When someone is looking to make a nutritional change it is often scale driven. I love it, as a coach when I have a prospective client whose primary goal for making nutritional changes is performance driven. Whether it is to establish new personal records dead lifting, in a race or just in life, non-scale related goals are ones I really enjoy helping clients pursue. They are often the undiscussed victories that can be even better than a scale goal.

When this client came to me ready to attack her next marathon using a nutritional strategy I was ecstatic. She has realized that fueling her body for performance was a missing link and she was ready to invest in herself to reap the benefits. Her goal was to crush her marathon with a change in the scale as a byproduct. Needless to say, both happened and she’s never looking back!

The moral to her story is that nutrition isn’t just about a number on a scale. It’s about listening to your body, zoning in how you actually feel, where you feel empowered and the entire big picture of health. Often when we spend time really fine tuning the non-scale victories we find that weight loss comes along with it.

Here Is Her Story:

“I began my journey with Amanda in January 2017 in preparation for my fourth marathon. I had run three full marathons as well as several half marathons previously, however, I always felt like something was missing. Longer runs would leave me completely drained in the energy department and I would most definitely need to rest/nap afterwards. I found that I would “bonk” energy-wise around mile 20 and struggle through the last 6 miles of the race. I would be very sore the next day, making sightseeing in new cities I was running in uncomfortable.

Greater Accountability

As a Crossfitter, I had heard the buzz about “tracking your macros” and saw the results it could provide- improved body composition, PR-ing lifts, flying through WODs with amazing energy. I began to track my macros on my own just to see if it was a lifestyle I could follow. I’ve always enjoyed eating healthy and meal prepping has been a habit I’d been doing for some time due to my work schedule. I found that I could make my day look great in My Fitness Pal and meet all of my numbers then would eat cookies/snacks and not log them (silly, I know). I knew I needed someone to help hold me accountable and having Amanda review my log weekly provided just that.

In just a few short weeks of working together, I noticed that my runs were becoming easy and the time it took me to recover was almost non-existent. I could go for an 18 mile run and turn around and go for an 8 mile run the next day without soreness and with continued energy.

Food As Fuel

Fueling my body properly for training including pre-workout and post-workout meals was clearly what I was missing. I learned what types of food made me feel the best and tried to stick to natural, whole foods to eat while running such as dried fruits and applesauce rather than gels and blocks I had previously used.

The day of the race, I felt more prepared for a marathon than I ever have before. My pre-race nutrition was solid, my snacks were prepared and I was ready. I felt amazing throughout the race and did not have my usual “bonk” at mile 20. And the next day, no soreness at all – even went for a 3 mile hike!

Nutrition Was Key

I can’t believe it took me four marathons to realize that changing my nutrition was the key to my success. This way of eating is not just a change I will make when training for an event, but a permanent lifestyle change. I was convinced marathon number four would be my last but just signed up for number five!”

Client Success Story: “50-ish Is The New 30”

Age: 47

Time Frame: 1 Year

Father Time

No matter how hard we try, we can’t stop time. We have the choice to allow the aging process to deter us from making life changes with the “it’s too late mindset” or use it to drive us to find a better, healthier quality of life.

I am so grateful that the client I am highlighting this month realized she no longer wanted to walk the path of inactivity and unhealthy habits. Instead, she made the choice to become the best version of herself at almost 50 years old. She is a case of the chronic misunderstanding that less food=greater results. The most exciting progress she has made is shifting her mindset to food as fuel.

This month I am excited to highlight a client who clearly makes 50 look like the new 30. She is an inspiration to all women and proof that age is no excuse to never stop working on yourself.

Here is Her Story:

“At the age of 47, I have had 17,155 days to make decisions. Decisions that led to habits. Habits that led to reflections and reflections that led to insights. Those insights helped me realize I didn’t want to just exist because I was aging. With 50 looming near like the Grim Reaper, I felt a new sense of urgency in deciding if I was going to watch my body wither away or fight Father Time with all I had.

We Are Responsible

That decision was easy to make but I knew if I wanted to see real changes, I first had to accept that I was ultimately responsible for every one of those thousands of decisions. What I had done in my past in relation to my health and fitness goals was never entirely met. I realized that I had sabotaged my own progress by rationalizing every excuse to miss a workout or follow a meal plan.

If I was going to do this 100%, I needed to change my mindset. No longer would it matter if the holidays are coming, a vacation or simply a bad day. The time was now and I needed to stop getting in my own way.

I decided to join a gym that was completely different from what I had done before. Somewhere that pushed progress and had the structure I needed to remain consistent. I stepped out of my comfort zone and a CrossFit gym became my new home the second I walked in.

The atmosphere itself was unique from anywhere I had been. Members that were actually sweaty and out of breath. Pushing themselves to perform without giving up. There would be no mindless cardio for hours. If you were there, you were working hard. The coaches and members encouraged each other to keep pushing themselves. The positivity and kindness from all was addicting and created an equation that proved results in their commitment and physiques.

Missing Piece

I found the missing piece to my fitness puzzle with Coach Amanda. Not only was she a strong leader as a coach but she also trained others in nutrition. As I watched my fellow members begin to shed pounds, build muscles and increase strength and endurance, I knew I had to take the next step.

Amanda accepting me as a client was like winning the lottery.

I had found someone who was knowledgeable, promoted accountability and continually encouraged you to strive forward. She helped me not just track my intake but to understand what nutrients I need to actually fuel my body for performance. I learned how to plan ahead to promote success instead of guilt. She builds you up so you become accountable to yourself. This was a crucial part of the process for me as I had to become comfortable in social events to make choices that supported my goals.

Not only did I lose 15 pounds and 3 pants sizes (smaller than I was in High School), but I lowered my cholesterol by 47 points and have 0% visceral fat (that awful stuff that accumulates around your organs and causes illness).

I am stronger, faster and more confident than I have even been.

The hardest part of this journey is that I wish I could take more people along with me. I want others to understand what it is like to feel incredibly healthy on the inside and actually look in the mirror and love who you see. To never want to crop a photo because it is proof of your progress.

I’m not afraid of tomorrow. I welcome it as it brings even further results.

My advice to anyone considering making changes is this. Do it now. There will never be a better time to build a better you than today!”